Dr. Sara Maxwell is an Associate Professor at the University of Washington on the Bothell Campus in the School of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences where she leads the Marine Sustainability Ecology Lab.
Her research focuses on the development of science-based solutions to conservation and management issues in the ocean, and her expertise is in the application of spatial tools, such as satellite tracking and oceanographic modeling. She uses these tools to understanding the distribution of large marine predators, how these predators interact with ocean processes, and how this knowledge can be applied to managing predator populations, human activities and ocean resources. Through her research, she aims to fulfill three goals: (1) conduct innovative science that is applied to conservation and management issues, (2) build knowledge and capacity in underdeveloped regions of the world, and (3) use research as tool for teaching and engaging students. Dr. Maxwell completed her Bachelor’s degree at University of Florida in Wildlife Ecology, and her PhD at University of California Santa Cruz in Ocean Sciences in 2010 under Dr. Daniel Costa, looking at effectiveness of marine protected areas for top marine predators. From 2010-2012, she worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow at Marine Conservation Institute in Seattle WA, where she is still a Research Fellow. She worked with NOAA to determine management strategies for the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument - then the largest MPA in the world. From 2012-2015, she was a Postdoctoral Scholar at Stanford University's Hopkins Marine Laboratory under Dr. Larry Crowder, laying the framework for dynamic ocean management as a means of managing mobile marine systems. In 2015 she began as Assistant Professor at Old Dominion University in Norfolk VA, and in 2018 moved to University of Washington - Bothell. Dr. Maxwell was awarded a 2016 Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship in Ocean Sciences, awarded to early career scientists in 'recognition of distinguished performance and a unique potential to make substantial contributions to their field’. For publications, see Publications or Dr. Maxwell's Google Scholar page. |
Dr. Melinda Conners researches the movements and behavior of highly migratory vertebrates across large-scale landscapes. Melinda’s expertise is primarily using technological and quantitative tools (bio-logging devices, remote-sensed environmental data, and animal movement modeling) to address animal conservation and management challenges. She is currently a Research Associate/Advanced Post-doc on a study led by Dr. Sara Maxwell and funded by the Pew Charitable Trust to measure the effectiveness of large marine protected areas (LMPAs) in safeguarding highly mobile marine vertebrates under different life-history scenarios and LMPA delineation schemes.
Dr. Conners received her B.Sc. in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior from the University of California, San Diego and her Ph.D. in Ocean Sciences from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 2015 under Dr. Scott Shaffer and Dr. Daniel Costa where she investigated the foraging and migration ecology of Laysan and black-footed albatrosses in the North Pacific. As a doctoral student, she was awarded a four-year graduate fellowship from the Dr. Nancy Foster program under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. From 2016-2018, Dr. Conners worked as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow with the Chicago Zoological Society where she led a study to develop a methodological framework for measuring behavioral and physiological indicators of welfare in bottlenose dolphins. This work led to a National Leadership Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to fund a multi-institutional study of dolphin welfare led by the Chicago Zoological Society. Dr. Conners is currently based in Chicago at Green Street Wildlife and Conservation Science, Inc. as a scientific research consultant. When not behind her computer in Fulton Market, you can find her covered in mud and lost in the woods with her German shepherd, Tuk. Google Scholar Profile for full publication list Twitter: @melbirds5 |
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
Conners, M. G., E. L. Hazen, D. P. Costa, and S. A. Shaffer. 2015. Shadowed by scale: subtle behavioral niche partitioning in two sympatric, tropical breeding albatross species. Movement Ecology 3:28. Conners, M. G., C. Goetsch, S. M. Budge, W. A. Walker, Y. Mitani, D. P. Costa, and S. A. Shaffer. 2018. Fisheries exploitation by a marine predator quantified with lipid analysis. Frontiers in Marine Science 5:113. Staley, M., M. G. Conners, K. Hall, L. M. Miller. 2018. Linking stress and immunity: Immunoglobulin A as a non-invasive physiological biomarker in animal welfare studies. Hormones and Behavior 102: 55-68. Maxwell, S. M., M. G. Conners, N. B. Sisson, and T. M. Dawson. 2016. Potential Benefits and Shortcomings of Marine Protected Areas for Small Seabirds Revealed Using Miniature Tags. Frontiers in Marine Science 3:264. Thorne, L. H., M. G. Conners, E. L. Hazen, S. J. Bograd, M. Antolos, D. P. Costa, S. A. Shaffer. 2016. Effects of El Nino-driven changes in wind patterns on North Pacific albatrosses. J. R. Soc. Interface 13:119. Young, H. S., S. M. Maxwell, M. G. Conners, and S. A. Shaffer. 2015. Pelagic marine protected areas protect foraging habitat for multiple breeding seabirds in the central Pacific. Biological Conservation 181:226–235. |
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PUBLICATIONS Dawson, T. M., A. Formia, P. D. Agamboué, G. M. Asseko, F. Boussamba, Floriane Cardiec, E.Chartrain, P. D. Doherty, J. M. Fay, B. J. Godley, F. Lambert, B. D. K. Mabert, J. C. Manfoumbi, K. Metcalfe, G. Miton, I. Ndanga, J. Nzegoue, C. K. Kouerey Oliwina, P. D. Plessis, G.-P. Sounguet, D. Tilley, M. J. Witt, S. M. Maxwell (2017) Informing marine protected areas and bycatch mitigation in sea turtles using satellite tracking. Frontiers in Marine Science 4:312. PDF Maxwell, S. M., M. G. Conners, N. B. Sisson, T. M. Dawson (2016) Potential Benefits and Shortcomings of Marine Protected Areas for Small Seabirds Revealed Using Miniature Tags. Frontiers in Marine Science 3:264. PDF |
Nick's thesis is focused on developing predictive habitat models for cetaceans using fishery observer data for the California swordfish fishery. This work will be integrated into a larger EcoCast project.
Nick grew up in the Boston area, and worked as a commercial lobsterman during breaks from school. Nick graduated from University of California Santa Cruz with a degree in Environmental Studies in 2012. Following graduation Nick worked field seasons in Washington, California, and Alaska, before settling down for a few years at a NOAA lab in Kodiak, Alaska until starting graduate school. Nick started in the Maxwell Lab in Spring 2016, and expects to graduate in Spring 2018. He will begin as a Knauss Fellow in Washington D.C. in February 2018. Google Scholar Profile Research Gate Profile |
PUBLICATIONS Conrath, C. L. & N. B. Sisson (2018). Delayed discard mortality of the giant Pacific octopus, Enteroctopus dofleini, in the Gulf of Alaska cod pot fishery. Fisheries Research, 197, 10-14. PDF N. B. Sisson & M. R. Baker (2017). Feeding ecology of the Pacific sand lance (Ammodytes personatus) in the San Juan Archipelago. Marine and Coastal Fisheries. In press. Maxwell, S. M., M. G. Conners, N. B. Sisson, T. M. Dawson (2016) Potential Benefits and Shortcomings of Marine Protected Areas for Small Seabirds Revealed Using Miniature Tags. Frontiers in Marine Science 3:264. PDF |
Jeri's thesis is focused on the environmentally-friendly development of sustainable energy in Virginia, particularly the impacts on seabirds. She is tracking common terns on the Eastern Shore of Virginia with the goal of understanding distributions in relation to offshore wind lease areas in Virginia and Maryland waters. She is also identifying colonies of seabird species that may be susceptible to wind energy impacts on the US East Coast and helping to determine priority species of concern.
Jeri grew up in Richmond VA and graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Marine Biology at ODU in 2015. After graduation, Jeri participated in several internships including: Dr. Butler's Marine Ecology Lab at ODU and the Florida Keys, NASA's DEVELOP Program in Mississippi, and the Aquatic Research Internship at Walt Disney World. Jeri started in the Maxwell Lab in Fall 2016. LinkedIn Profile |
The Marine Sustainability Ecology Lab currently includes four ODU Research for Undergraduates in Math and Science (RUMS) students, who are assisting with our wind energy project.
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Tully joined the Marine Sustainability Ecology Lab in 2011. She was trained at University of Washington and spent several years as a Program and Tuna Manager at Marine Conservation Institute in Seattle also serving as resident hipster, claiming she lived in Ballard. She specializes in Bayesian statistics and fuzzy math. Despite her passing in 2018, she still claims her publications are forthcoming, pending the creation of a non-feline discriminatory keyboard. She continues to berate us and our statistical skills from the afterlife.
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